Lone Star State Attempts to Ban Shark Fin Sales

If a recently introduced bill is passed, Texas will join California, Hawaii, and Washington on the list of US states that ban the purchase and trade of shark fins.

Texas representatives recently introduced a bill that will prohibit the buying, selling, or trading of shark fins, reports The Humane Society of the United States. Shark finning, which is banned in US coastal waters but is still practiced in other parts of the world, is when sharks’ fins are cut off and the animals are then put back into the water where they often die painful deaths. “I am happy to work with The Humane Society of the United States and the Shark Stewards in passing this legislation,” says Representative Eddie Lucio as quoted by HSUS. “The practice of shark finning is detrimental to the Gulf ecosystem and is inhumane. I am committed to eliminating this problem and will focus our efforts in this session.”